This invention relates to improvements in or relating to dispensing apparatus. In particular, the invention relates to the dispensing of beverages, for example, beer, ale, porter, stout or lager. The present invention finds particular application for use in dispensing draft beverages where the beverage is stored in a keg or similar container and is transported to a dispensing tap as and when required.
It is common to provide a tap, or other such device, at the point of dispensation of the beverage to allow a user to control the quantity and timing of dispensation of the beverage. Such taps are normally manually operated. It is also known to dispense beverages containing a gas such as carbon dioxide and/or nitrogen in solution in such a way as to produce a close-knit, creamy head on the beverage. Typical examples of such beverages are stouts and ales. The creamy head has been found to have a pleasing aesthetic effect. A creamy head may be produced on some beverages by providing a fixed orifice plate or a suitable agitation means within the flow path of the tap. The orifice tap comprises a disc-shaped partition disposed substantially perpendicularly to the flow path of the beverage. The partition has a number of apertures through which beverage passes. The reduced size of the apertures in the orifice plate compared to the tap as a whole acts as a restriction on the flow path and induces turbulence to the flow of beverage, leading to nucleation of bubbles of gas dissolved in the beverage. These bubbles grow and nucleate further bubbles as the beverage is dispensed into a receptacle such as a glass. As the beverage settles after dispensing, the bubbles rise to form a close-knit, creamy head.
A disadvantage with orifice plates is that all of the beverage passes through the orifice plate. With some beverages (those containing more than 2.5 g/l CO2), this leads to the nucleation of too many bubbles which results in over-foaming of the beverage (known as fobbing), which is undesired. Given that nearly all lagers and most keg ales have a greater than 2.5 g/l CO2 dissolved in them, a large number of products are incapable of being dispensed with a creamy head with their current CO2 levels. Factors which affect the degree of fobbing include the temperature, CO2 (or other) gas pressure and the flow speed of the beverage. Reducing the temperature, gas pressure and/or flow speed can reduce the degree of fobbing but this can be expensive and reduces customers"" acceptance of the beverage in other areas.
Our co-pending application, GB 9900727 discloses a dispensing apparatus as shown in FIG. 1. The dispensing apparatus is in the form of a tap having a spout which comprises a portion 2a of a relatively narrow diameter and a portion 2b of a relatively large diameter. One end of the tap is connected to a beverage line and the other end terminates in an outlet through which the beverage is dispensed. A vertical partition 3 is positioned within portion 2b of the spout extending across the full diameter of the spout to divide the portion 2b into two chambers 14 and 15. An orifice plate 10 is provided in chamber 14 extending between partition 3 and a side wall of portion 2b of the spout. There is no orifice plate positioned in chamber 15. A flap valve 16 is rotatably mounted on a hinge 17 at an upper end of the vertical partition 3 is provided to act as an inlet valve. The flap valve 16 and hinge 17 arrangement is preferably operatively connected to a handle on the tap. The flap valve 16 may be rotated from the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 1 in which the inlet to chamber 15 is closed and beverage is constrained to flow through chamber 14 along the path indicated by arrow 13a, to a second position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1, in which the inlet to chamber 14 is closed and beverage is constrained to flow through chamber 15 following the path of arrow 13b. The orifice plate 10 contains one or more apertures 18.
In use, flap valve 16 is initially in the second position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1 such that the inlet to chamber 15 is open and chamber 14 is closed. A handle of the tap is then operated to discharge beverage through chamber 15 into a receptacle, such as a glass. At the appropriate time, the handle operatively connected to flap valve 16 is operated to move flap valve 16 into its first position shown in solid lines in FIG. 1 such that the beverage flow is diverted through chamber 14 and hence through orifice plate 10 where gas bubbles are nucleated. As a result, a creamy head is designed to be deposited on the beverage.
It has been found that use of the above described apparatus of FIG. 1 is problematic. In particular, the beverage diverted through chamber 14 which is foamed as it passes through orifice plate 10 is dispensed into the receptacle at a relatively high speed. This has been found to cause unacceptable levels of fobbing of the beverage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing apparatus which at least overcomes this problem.
According to the present invention, there is provided dispensing apparatus for dispensing a beverage into a receptacle comprising one or more taps between them defining two beverage flow paths, wherein one of the beverage flow paths are provided with a flow restriction for inducing turbulence in the beverage flow for producing foam and means for directing said beverage flow path to be not vertically orientated at an outlet such that fobbing of beverage in the receptacle is prevented.
There is also disclosed a method of dispensing a beverage into a receptacle comprising the steps of dispensing beverage through a first tap or chamber into the receptacle, subsequently dispensing beverage through a second tap or chamber containing a flow restriction for inducing turbulence in the beverage flow for producing foam and directing said foam into the receptacle in a non-vertical direction.